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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23435461">Diamond in the Rough</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Center_of_the_Galaxy/pseuds/Center_of_the_Galaxy'>Center_of_the_Galaxy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Uncharted (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aladdin's Lamp, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Inspired by Aladdin (Disney Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:35:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23435461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Center_of_the_Galaxy/pseuds/Center_of_the_Galaxy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathan Drake swore he was done with traipsing around the world in search of mythical treasure. No, he was just going to be traipsing after totally normal treasure, thank you very much. But when rumors of a magical lamp catch Sully’s attention, Nate finds himself dragged on another adventure.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Diamond in the Rough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p>Nathan Drake was getting way too used to having people shoot at him. </p>
<p>“Crap, crap!” Nate swore under his breath as he ducked behind a clay wall, hot sand covering his feet. He reloaded his gun, wondering just how many people he’d managed to pissed off today. Then again, in his line of work, Nate tended to be on the wrong side of a lot of pissed off war lords and mercenaries. </p>
<p><em>“Kid, you gotta get the hell outta there!”</em> Sully’s frantic voice filtered in through his earpiece.</p>
<p>“Trying!” He cocked his shotgun and fire blindly over the wall, hoping by the sound of a thud that he’d gotten someone. </p>
<p><em>“Chloe, find an exit!”</em> Sully growled. </p>
<p><em>“Trying! I’m under fire too. Why do these guys have tanks?”</em> Chloe exclaimed. </p>
<p>The wall collapsed, crumbling to dust and Nate scrambled, searching for cover, firing his gun all the way. </p>
<p>“Go with me on this trip, Nate. It will be an easy payday, Nate,” The treasure hunter muttered under his breath, “Sully, after this, I don’t ever want to hear you going on about easy scores again.” </p>
<p>Sully chuckled, <em>“Yeah, kid, I hear ya. Just focus on getting out.” </em></p>
<p>That was easier said than done. </p>
<p>The mercenaries kept firing and Nate found himself running low on ammo. He could dash across an open stretch of sand, but he couldn’t risk the odds. If he got shot here, it would definitely be game over. </p>
<p>Suddenly, a roar moved across the desert. Flying over the dunes, Chloe came barreling through, jeeps moving behind her, a spray of bullets. </p>
<p><em>“That’s your exit, kid,”</em> Sully interjected, <em>“Get a move on.” </em></p>
<p>Nate sprinted, making a mad dash for Chloe’s jeep. He jumped, easily grabbing on to the side of moving vehicle and hoisted himself in. </p>
<p>“What the fuck have you gotten me into, Drake?” Chloe growled. </p>
<p>“Don’t blame me, this is Sully’s mess.” </p>
<p>Nate returned fire, striking one of the driver’s in the head, the jeep skidding out of control. </p>
<p>“All this for a magic lamp?” Chloe asked sarcastically.</p>
<p>But Nate didn’t have time to answer. An explosion rocked the ground under the truck and Nate found himself being thrown off the truck, landing in hot sand, mercenaries closing in. </p>
<hr/>
<p>“Wait, wait, wait,” Cassie Drake interjected softly, her eyes peering up at her father, “That didn’t really happen.” </p>
<p>Next to their daughter, Elena did her best to suppress a chuckle, “Your father does tend to exaggerate.” </p>
<p>Nate shot his wife a glare before facing his daughter once more, “I’m telling you, it’s true. Now, could I please continue?” </p>
<p>“A magic lamp?” Cassie pressed him, “You expect me to believe that?”</p>
<p>“It’s true! Let me go on. You’ll see.” </p>
<p>Cassie folded her arms across her chest and nodded. </p>
<hr/>
<p>Thank god for Victor “Goddamn” Sullivan. </p>
<p>The man Nate considered his father figure had a knack for showing up in the nick of time and saving the day. In this case, Sully came flying in a plane, rope flying down from the open side door. </p>
<p>“Grab on kid!” </p>
<p>Nate jumped, his hands gripping onto the rope. He climbed furiously, nearly losing his grip when Sully swerved to avoid gunfire. As he hauled himself in and slammed the plane door shut, he turned to Sully in the cockpit. </p>
<p>“Where’s Chloe?” </p>
<p><em>“I’m good!”</em> Her strained voice filtered in through the comms, <em>“Heading to the rendezvous point.”</em>  </p>
<p>Nate sighed, falling to the floor of the plane. How had a simple retrieval gone so sideways?</p>
<p>“Nate, you good? You didn’t get hit, did you?” </p>
<p>A faint smile touched Nate’s lips. Even after everything, Sully still worried like a mother hen. The younger treasure hunter replied, “I’m good. Who were those guys?” </p>
<p>Sully sighed, “We’ll talk when we meet up with the others.” </p>
<p>Nate’s eyebrow arched, “Others? Who you got in this?” </p>
<p>“You didn’t think I was gonna let you and Chloe do this one by yourselves? Nate, you may be a good treasure hunter, but you attract more trouble than anyone I’ve ever met.” </p>
<p>Nate chuckled dryly, “I get it, Sully.” </p>
<p>“Just take it easy. We’ve got about an hour to go.” </p>
<p>Nate nodded, leaning against the side of the plane. Shutting his eyes, he let himself drift into sleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The magical lamp supposedly held a genie inside. Whoever held the lamp, controlled the genie and could wish for immense power or untold riches. Nate didn’t believe in the magic aspect (although, after El Dorado, he could start to believe that maybe there were things out there no one could quite explain) but he did believe in the price tag that a priceless solid gold lamp with ornate detailing and laid with jewels could get. </p>
<p>So, he agreed to go along with Sully. Got Chloe to be their third person and boom, it was done. </p>
<p>It should’ve been simple. </p>
<p>And now his current girlfriend was staring at him, a frown on her lips. </p>
<p>“Aw, crap,” He whispered under his breath, “Hi Elena.” </p>
<p>They’d only renewed their relationship recently and after the mess that was Shambhala, he wanted her far away from any treasure hunting. So yeah, maybe he lied and told her that he and Sully were going on a guys’ trip. But was he really in the wrong if he just wanted to keep her safe?</p>
<p>“Fun guys’ trip, huh, Nate?” Her voice was ice cold and yeah, he was definitely screwed. </p>
<p>“Surprise,” Sully clapped him on the back, “More hands the better, right?” </p>
<p>“I’ve dug up info on who you guys pissed off. Ever heard of Countess Lucie Van Helen?” Elena questioned. At everyone’s blank looks, she continued, “The woman has a fortune and way too much time on her hands.” </p>
<p>“So, what would she send a magic lamp for?” Chloe asked.</p>
<p>“To keep her young,” Elena replied, “The Countess is old. She wants her youth to keep spending her money. And she’s hired a whole army to stop you guys.” </p>
<p>“Just a regular Wednesday,” Sully replied, smirking, “So, where’s the lamp?” </p>
<p>“Back in the desert that you guys almost got blown up in,” Elena answered.</p>
<p>“Crap,” Nate cursed, running a hand through his hair, “There’s no way we can go there. Those guys will be swarming.” </p>
<p>“That’s why I got us an inside contact,” Elena beamed, “You can come in, Aryia.” </p>
<p>The door to the hotel room opened and a petite woman with curly brown hair and emerald eyes stepped into the room, She wore a pink sari, gold trimmings adorning it and it complemented her milk chocolate skin. </p>
<p>“Namaste,” The woman greeted, her eyes sparkling with some mischievous intent, “I am Aryia. I can sneak you all into camp.” </p>
<p>Nate pulled Elena aside, “You can trust her?” </p>
<p>“I’ve vetted her,” Elena replied, “Right now, I trust her more than you.” Upset, his wife stormed off. </p>
<p>Well, shit. </p>
<hr/>
<p>Aryia kept staring at him. </p>
<p>Normally, if he weren’t in such a bad mood, he’d make a joke about he was a taken man. Still, the way she was staring at him wasn’t romantic, no, but something else, curiosity maybe?</p>
<p>“So, Mr. Drake,” Her accented voice lilted, “You’ve done this before, yes? Taking treasure?” </p>
<p>Chloe bit out a laugh and Nate glared at her. </p>
<p>The truck where they were hidden in the cargo hold continued to move across the quiet road, heading back to the desert. </p>
<p>“I’ve liberated a few things before, yeah.” </p>
<p>Aryia chuckled, “And if you had the lamp, what would you wish for?” </p>
<p>He glanced at Elena, wishing that he could fix things between them, but now wasn’t the time or place. </p>
<p>“Isn’t this a trick question?” He posed, “I mean, be careful what you wish for, right?” </p>
<p>Aryia smirked, “Indeed.” </p>
<p>The jeep rumbled to a stop and Aryia moved out of the back and scrambled to the front seat with Chloe, also clad in a sari, the fabric also hiding her face. Aryia said something to the guard working the checkpoint and the jeep moved once more into the desert. </p>
<p>“We have to be sneaky,” Elena mumbled, “Get in and get out. We’re outnumbered.” </p>
<p>“Hey,” Nate tried to ease her fears with a smile, “I can do sneaky.” </p>
<p>And that’s when the gunfire started.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The next few moments were a blur. </p>
<p>Aryia tugged his hand, screaming, “You must get to the lamp!” </p>
<p>He glanced back, seeing Elena, Sully and Chloe holding their own, firing back at their countless enemies. Could he leave them behind. </p>
<p>Aryia pulled once more, “Please, Mr. Drake! If the lamp should fall into the wrong hands, this world as we know it will end.” </p>
<p>“Go on kid!” Sully shouted, “We got this!” </p>
<p>Nate ran, following Aryia as they sprinted across the desert. The young woman hopped down a wooden ladder and suddenly, Nate found himself in a dark cave. </p>
<p>“Follow.” Aryia pushed deeper into the dark cave and Nate wondered how exactly she knew this place. The darkness grew around them as the sounds of gunfire above grew fainter and fainter. </p>
<p>Finally, they arrived in an open cavern and Nate could see, on a piece of stone, the lamp. </p>
<p>“Aryia, how did you know?” </p>
<p>But Aryia was no longer standing there. </p>
<p>Nate stepped toward the lamp, his fingers brushing against the gold metal. </p>
<p>A gun cocked by his head, “I’m afraid that’s as far as you’ll go, Mr. Drake.” </p>
<p>Nate froze, “Countess, I presume?” </p>
<p>“Step away from the lamp.” </p>
<p>He couldn’t do that. He dove for the lamp, his hands rubbing it and rolled as the Countess shot her weapon. </p>
<p>The lamp burned under his skin, but Nate couldn’t release it. The jewels glowed and a thin mist escaped from the lamp. </p>
<p>“You have summoned me,” A voice called out, “Now you shall have your wishes three.” </p>
<p>The genie was Aryia, Nate realized, seeing the young woman before him now, a sparkling white mist surrounding her. </p>
<p>“Give me the lamp,” The Countess shouted, and Nate could make her out now, an old, feeble woman, “I need it! I need to live forever.” </p>
<p>“Make your wish,” Aryia ordered, “I shall grant anything your heart desires.” </p>
<p>He knew them what he had to do. </p>
<p>“I wish for this lamp to disappear forever!” </p>
<p>“No!” The Countess screamed and Aryia smirked. </p>
<p>The mist engulfed the cave as the rocks making it up shook and began to collapse. Nate turned to the old woman, “We have to go! Take my hand.” </p>
<p>She shook her head, “You fool. Let me die.” </p>
<p>“But!” </p>
<p>“Go!” </p>
<p>Nate could spare no more time and turned to run, barely making out of the cave before the rocks filled it in. </p>
<p>“Nate!” Elena threw herself at him, her arms holding him securely, “What happened? Are you okay?” </p>
<p>He expected to see soldiers pointing guns at him, but aside from Sully, Chloe and Elena, there was no one there. </p>
<p>Following his gaze, Elena muttered, “It was so odd, they just disappeared.” </p>
<p>“Vanished in a white mist.” Chloe added. </p>
<p>“Where’s Aryia?” </p>
<p>Nate turned to his girlfriend, “Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you everything.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>“Wait, so you’re telling me Aryia was the genie? But how did she get out of her lamp?” Cassie pressed her father, voice laced with astonishment. </p>
<p>Nate chuckled, “Maybe she was protecting the lamp.” </p>
<p>“She did save all of us,” Elena leaned against her husband, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist, “We owe her our lives.” </p>
<p>“This story makes no sense.” </p>
<p>“Believe what you want, kid,” Nate winked at her, “But it really happened.” </p>
<p>Cassie wanted to chalk up the story to her father’s penchant for exaggeration, but part of her wondered, if it was true. </p>
<p>“All right,” Elena told her, “Enough treasure stories. Don’t you need to go walk the dog?” </p>
<p>Cassie laughed and got up from her seat, “You got it, Mom.” </p>
<p>With her daughter out of the room, Elena faced her husband, “You really didn’t make any other wishes?” </p>
<p>“No,” Nate admitted, “Besides, I got everything I wished for on my own.” </p>
<p>Elena punched him playfully in the shoulder, “You sap.” </p>
<p>But they kissed and all was well. </p>
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